cURL (pronounced like "curl", ɜːrl/) is a free and open-source computer program for transferring data to and from Internet servers. It can download resources identified by URLs from a web server over HTTP and supports a variety of other network protocols, URI schemes, multiple versions of HTTP, and proxying. The project consists of a library (libcurl) and command-line tool (curl), which have been widely ported to different computing platforms. It was created by Daniel Stenberg, who is still the lead developer of the project.
The software was first released in 1996, originally named httpget and then became urlget, before adopting the current name of curl. The name stands for "Client and URL". The original author and lead developer is the Swedish developer Daniel Stenberg, who created curl to power part of an IRC bot, because he wanted to automatically provide currency exchange rates, fetched from a website, to users in an IRC chat room.
What is cURL?
cURL by curl (developed by Daniel Stenberg) is free Windows software in the terminals & cli tools category. It ranks 12th by popularity among terminals & cli tools in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 1996. It is written in C. Besides Windows, it is available for Unix-like operating system, GNU/Linux, macOS and BSD.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides Portable installers for 64-bit and ARM64 Windows. The main installer is 8.7 MB. It runs without installation (portable).
Updates and version history
The current version is 8.23.0.5, released on October 14, 2026. The version history goes back to November 5, 2025: 35 releases, all linked to the official files. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 5,868,853 times. Wikipedia has an article about it in 26 of our languages. Similar programs include PowerShell, QPDF and Oh My Posh.
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Free to use
- Native ARM64 build for Windows on Arm
- Portable: runs without installation
- Updated in the last two months
- Small download (8.7 MB)
- Also runs on Unix-like operating system, GNU/Linux and macOS
- Large user base
In short: cURL is a free terminals & cli tool tool for 64-bit and ARM64 PCs.
Screenshots
Is cURL safe to download?
- The file is served by curl.se, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
B0AF3896433242213F6D1388A104115E6DFDD3B16727E5B00C2AB0F48FBC904A· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link answered when we last checked it (October 24, 2026)
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 35 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.23.0.5Latest | October 14, 2026 | 8.7 MB | 64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP |
| 8.23.0.4 | October 14, 2026 | 8.6 MB | 64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP |
| 8.23.0.3 | October 14, 2026 | 8.6 MB | ARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 8.23.0.2 | October 14, 2026 | 8.8 MB | ARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 8.23.0.1 | October 14, 2026 | 8.8 MB | 64-bit ZIPARM64 ZIP |
| 8.22.0.3 | September 2, 2026 | 8.7 MB | ARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 8.22.0.2 | September 2, 2026 | 8.7 MB | ARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 8.22.0.1 | September 2, 2026 | 8.7 MB | ARM64 ZIP64-bit ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id cURL.cURL -echoco install curl -yscoop install main/curlRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install curlInformation
- Publisher
- curl
- Developer
- Daniel Stenberg
- Category
- Terminals & CLI tools
- Licence
- Freeware
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com
- Written in
- C
- Interface languages
- English
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, ARM64
- Installer
- Portable
- Other platforms
- Unix-like operating system, GNU/Linux, macOS, BSD
- Version
- 8.23.0.5
- Released
- October 14, 2026
- First release
- 1996
- Added to the catalogue
- November 5, 2025
- Versions listed
- 35
- Chocolatey downloads
- 5,868,853
- Website
- curl.se
- winget ID
- cURL.cURL
- Chocolatey package
- curl
- Scoop package
- main/curl
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to cURL
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Frequently asked questions
Is cURL free?
Yes. cURL is free to use.
Is cURL safe to download?
The download comes from curl.se, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install cURL with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Does cURL run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
Yes, there is a native ARM64 installer.
Where can I download an older version of cURL?
The versions page lists all 35 versions with links to their official installer files, back to November 5, 2025.
Can I use cURL without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to cURL?
PowerShell, QPDF, Oh My Posh, Cygwin and PuTTY. The alternatives page compares them.
